Kathmandu, Nov 16: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has stepped up efforts to resolve internal disputes over the party’s upcoming general convention.

Returning Friday night after 18 days of medical treatment in Singapore, Deuba intensified meetings with party leaders on Saturday to address the disagreements.

Although Deputy President Purna Bahadur Khadka has been formally appointed acting president, sources say Deuba has been working informally behind the scenes to mediate the tensions.

On Saturday morning, Khadka briefed Deuba on disputes that arose during the month-long central committee meeting and issues related to the convention.

Following this, Deuba met with party spokesperson Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, and NP Saud, among others, urging them to create an atmosphere of consensus. Sources indicate he instructed Khadka and the leaders to reconcile differences and move forward collaboratively.

Deuba is also scheduled to meet seven former officeholders on Sunday. The group includes former deputy presidents Bimalendra Nidhi, Gopalman Shrestha, and Vijay Kumar Gachhadar, former general secretaries Prakash Man Singh, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, and Dr. Shashank Koirala, along with party spokesperson Dr. Mahat.

These former leaders insist that the party’s 15th general convention should be held after the House of Representatives elections slated for November 21. Conversely, groups led by Dr. Shekhar Koirala and general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwprakash Sharma argue that the convention must take place before the elections. The disagreement has left the central committee meeting, which began on October 28, unresolved.

On Saturday, following Deuba’s suggestion to seek consensus, acting president Khadka met with key leaders and former officeholders at Himalaya Hotel in Lalitpur to try to resolve the dispute, but the differences remained, according to a participant.

People’s News Monitoring Service